adminDevelopment. Celebrating World Environment Day is about the inspirational power of individual actions that collectively become a force for positive change in environmental management.
The commemoration of the day has grown to become one of the main vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.
Through World Environment Day, the United Nations Environment Programme is able to personalise environmental issues and enable everyone to realise not only their responsibility, but also their power to become the agents of change in support of sustainable and equitable development
The first World Environment Day commemoration was in 1973. Since 2009 Zimbabwe has been celebrating this day in the form of Environmental Expos, where various stakeholders have been accorded an opportunity to exhibit products that revolve around a given theme. The strategy has been very effective as it provided a platform for various stakeholders to interact and showcase their opinion in promoting sustainable environmental management.
2013 Theme
The theme for this year’s World Environment Day celebrations is “Think. Eat. Save”. The theme is an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages food waste generators (consumers and households) to reduce the amount of food waste that they generate. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, every year 1,3 billion tonnes of food is wasted.
This is equivalent to the same amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, one in every seven people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20 000 children under the age of five die daily from hunger.
In Zimbabwe research has shown that 70 percent of the waste generated is biodegradable and stemming mainly from foodstuffs. It is possible that if the world revisits some of the eating habits and adopts sustainable consumerism, some of the challenges facing the world today can be addressed.
While the planet is struggling to provide the world with enough resources to sustain its 7 billion people (growing to 9 billion by 2050), FAO estimates that a third of global food production is either wasted or lost. Food waste is an enormous drain on natural resources and a contributor to negative environmental impacts.
This year’s campaign aims to rally everyone to take responsible action and witness the power of collective decision to reduce food waste, save money, minimise the environmental impact of food production and force food production processes to become more efficient. In Zimbabwe 150 000 tonnes of domestic waste is generated per year and food waste constitutes about 70 percent of the total. If food is wasted, it means that all the resources and inputs used in the production of all the food are also lost. For example, it takes about 1 000 litres of water to produce one litre of milk and about 16 000 litres goes into a cow’s food to make a hamburger.
The resulting greenhouse gas emissions from the cows themselves, and throughout the food supply chain, all end up in vain when we waste food.
Venue
The exhibitions will be held in the Africa Unity Square and presentation of papers will be done at Meikles Hotel, in Harare on June 5, 2013.
Main Activities for the event
a. Environmental exhibitions
Various stakeholders are given an opportunity to showcase their products and strategies which they think can help to attain sustainable consumerism. The following are some of the sectors that are invited to take part in this year’s environmental expo;
- agriculture sector; construction industry; restaurants and hotels; manufacturing and retail industry; mining and service industry; Government ministries and departments among others.
b. Presentation of papers
As part of the commemorations, there will be presentation of papers on issues revolving around the theme. In this regard individuals, companies and institutions wishing to make presentations on this day are invited to send abstracts to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management or Environmental Management Agency. When an abstract is accepted a confirmation will be made and development of a full paper should then commence. Those who wish to participate in paper presentations should send their abstracts to the following emails: [email protected]/
- For more information on World Environment Day preparations and participation please do not hesitate to conduct the following:
S. Kangata: 04 305 543 / 0773 404 779/ email: [email protected], [email protected]; V. Gundu: 04 701681-3 / 0772496626; [email protected]; V. Makoto: 0772749082; [email protected]
Online Reporter